fellow Compatriots,
I greet and felicitate with you all, especially
our citizens of the Islamic faith on this
auspicious occasion of the 2015 Eid-el-Fitr
celebrations.
I congratulate all those who have successfully
completed the Ramadan fast in keeping with
the injunction of our Creator.
Although we have come to the end of this
year’s month of Ramadan, I believe that a
greater acceptance by Nigerians of its key
lessons of self-denial and sacrifice will serve
our dear country well as we strive to
overcome our present challenges, undo the
damage done by years of bad governance and
accelerate the pace of national development.
Reviewing our dire circumstances and the
many missed opportunities of the past, some
commentators and observers have said that
this is Nigeria’s last chance to get its act
together and finally begin to fulfill its God-
given potential for greatness.
While not going that far, I certainly believe
that now, more than ever before, our country
needs greater self-denial, sacrifice and
patriotism from all of its citizens, if we are to
quickly recover from our numerous problems
and start moving in a positive direction.
This current period of our life as a nation
offers us a great opportunity to break from the
vicious triangle of insecurity, corruption and
under-development. We must collectively
resolve to seize this opportunity and unite to
confront our problems.
I remain wholly committed to giving the
required leadership towards undoing the
wrongs of the past, ensuring that Nigeria truly
begins to unlock its great potential and that
the benefits of our immense national
resources are shared and enjoyed by all, not
just by successive cabals of corrupt leaders
and their cronies.
I was very aware of your high expectations
when I assumed office and I reassure you, my
fellow citizens, that since my inauguration on
the 29th of May this year, I have been working
with utmost dedication to meticulously plan
and tackle the many national challenges which
we identified and promised to resolve.
To succeed however, I need your continued
support, understanding and patience.
I fully understand and share the thirst of my
long-suffering compatriots for corruption-free
government institutions that work efficiently
to deliver visible development for the benefit
of all citizens.
I also share the feelings of those who think
that we should be moving faster. But I urge
them and all Nigerians to trust that my
commitment to real and positive change in
our nation is as firm as ever.
There is indeed much work to be done, but we
must do it well and carefully to ensure that
the great opportunity which we now have is
not lost to the “business as usual” group who
selfishly or shortsightedly prefer a status quo
that panders to their personal or group
interests.
The adverse effects of years of rot, corruption,
inept and bad governance on our nation are
immense, but certainly not insurmountable if
we all resolve now to place the well-being of
our nation above all other considerations and
work whole-heartedly with the present
administration to achieve greater peace and
security across the nation, and reposition our
country for faster economic development and
progress.
May Almighty Allah continue to guide us and
bless our dear nation.
I wish you all happy Eid-el- Fitr celebrations.
Muhammadu Buhari
President,
Federal Republic of Nigeria
July 16, 2015